Controlling Road Rage

Control your emotions, my good friends. Control your emotions. You've got to realize that when someone sets you off on the road, it's most likely not just you and that other person in the general vicinity. There's always going to be people out there that cut you off, brake check you, flash the bird out the window with no fear, tailgate you because they can, drive too slow in a fast zone, honk horns recklessly, etc. The list goes on and on. This stuff is always going to happen because the population grows and grows each year along with the number of people who own vehicles.

When someone interrupts your commute with one of those driving pet peeves, you have to just let it go. It's hard, I know. We don't think when something happens all of a sudden, we act on impulses. In this day and age, it's human nature. For whatever reason it may be, most of us have relatively short tempers on the road.

The initial reaction that we have to others on the road who trigger us is to retaliate. However, we need to take the initiative to control our emotions when we encounter situations like this. If you retaliate then you will only make things worse for yourself.

Think about it. That person makes you mad, right? They do something in their car that sets you off, that unhinges you. What are the chances of you ever seeing that person again? Honestly, how many times have you happened to run into the same random driver more than once? Exactly. So, what's the point of you even wasting your time? You end up either following them, giving them a 'taste of their own medicine', or try to ram them off the road. By the way, all of these are considered to be crimes by law.

It's not worth putting your own life in danger nor the rest of the civilians on the road because of something another inconsiderate driver does to you. Don't risk your life with nonsense. Think logically.

If another driver does something to you, let them go on. Even hang back if you have to so they move on with their day. Save the altercation. Don't honk your horn over and over again, don't ram them back, don't brake check them back, don't cut them off like they cut you off, don't make obscene gestures and yell. And, most importantly, don't try to get them in a wreck.

Many times, when you try to wreck someone else, you end up damaging or wrecking your own vehicle in the process. Is it really worth it? The savage in you will say 'yes, it totally is'. Your bank account and your insurance company will not agree. Neither will the police because you can be charged with reckless endangerment because of that. You would be to blame in addition to the person who initiated the confrontation because you allowed yourself to get upset and overreact.

Road rage is not anything to play with. This isn’t a game, this is real life. You can get yourself or your family harmed or killed and can even cost innocent bystanders their lives because you couldn't keep yourself under control. It goes way beyond just you and the other driver. In the moment, we think that it’s just them and us going at it, but the reality is that it’s us and every other driver on the road. We have to think of the bigger picture and not just inside this imaginary box that we place ourselves and the other driver in.

Is it wrong to let the person at fault just leave and possibly do harm to other drivers as well? Absolutely not. I know that you don't like my answer, but we have a moral responsibility of letting wrongdoers get what's coming to them and living our lives without stooping to their level. Many of us are guilty of road rage, I've had it myself. But, it's never too late to change the way we handle situations like that so that we can prevent conflict with other drivers in the future.

When challenged on the road, take a breath and keep calm. Relax your nerves. Avoiding a confrontation and moving on with your day will not only be the best decision you have made in your life, but many positives and blessings will come your way for leaning away from the negative temptation to retaliate. I promise you that.